Sixers stifle Heat Warriors oust T'Wolves
Philly awaits 2nd-round opponent Golden State to face New Orleans Celtics go up 3-2 on Bucks
J.J. Redick scored 27 points to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the visiting Miami Heat 104-91 to clinch the teams’ firstround playoff series in five games on Tuesday night.
Redick scored 20 or more points in consecutive playoff games for the first time in his career as the Sixers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2012.
“If we can just buy time and hold on to winning, I like where we are going,” Sixers coach Brett Brown told NBC Sports Philadelphia on the court postgame. “I like our direction.”
Joel Embiid scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Ben Simmons had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Marco Belinelli chipped in with 11 points and Robert Covington had 10.
Kelly Olynyk led the Heat with 18 points, Tyler Johnson added 16 and Goran Dragic had 15. Justise Winslow scored 12 points and Dwyane Wade had 11.
“I’d like to congratulate Philly, Brett Brown his staff and players, they played very good basketball and clearly deserved to move on,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “They did it the right way and have built very steadily, didn’t skip any steps. You’re seeing the results.”
The 76ers were fired up by the courtside presence of Philadelphia-born rapper Meek Mill, who was released from prison earlier Tuesday while he appeals convictions on weapons and drug charges.
Redick hit a long three-pointer as the Sixers surged ahead 85-69 with 10:17 remaining. On Philadelphia’s next possession, Embiid sank a jumper from the wing, and the lead was 87-69.
After the Sixers went up 11, Wayne Ellington hit a three-pointer to get Miami back within 95-87. Redick’s triple with 2:07 left secured the win as the Sixers pulled out to a 100-89 advantage.
The Sixers picked up the pace and outscored Miami 34-20 in the third quarter to take an 80-66 lead.
The Heat tied the game at 46 just before halftime when Dragic knocked down a 15-foot jumper. Dragic led Miami with 10 first-half points.
Embiid, who was making his home debut in the playoffs, paced the Sixers with 11 points and seven rebounds before halftime.
Dragic said of the 76ers, “If somebody underrates those guys, they are in trouble. We didn’t underrate them. We thought that they were a great team. They have a lot of weapons. Everybody can get hot and they play physical. They don’t back off. They play together as a unit defensively and offensively. I think they are going to go far.”
Redick said, “I think moving forward, the playoffs get more physical, more intense. Whomever our opponent is in the next round, whether it’s Boston or Milwaukee, it’ll be a lot more of the same.
Warriors 99, Spurs 91
Golden State responded to its first loss of the postseason with a championship-type defensive effort, suffocating visiting San Antonio to complete a 4-1 win in the first round of the playoffs.
The defending-champion Warriors, seeded second in the West this year, advance to a Western Conference semifinal matchup with the sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, who scored a surprising four-game sweep of the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
Kevin Durant had a team-high 25 points, Klay Thompson 24 and Draymond Green a 17-point, 19-rebound double-double for the Warriors, who won their 12th consecutive home playoff game. LaMarcus Aldridge had a 30 points and 12 boards for the Spurs, who were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for just the fifth time in the past 21 years.
Celtics 92, Bucks 87
Al Horford scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help host Boston take a 3-2 series lead against Milwaukee on a night when Marcus Smart returned for the Celtics.
Terry Rozier added 16 points, Jaylen Brown had 14 and Marcus Morris had 10 for the Celtics, who can clinch the bestof-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Milwaukee. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points.
Smart had nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks off the bench after missing the first four games of the series and the last 15 games of the regular season while recovering from right thumb surgery.